Pictures on the Garden City secondary?

I have searched high and low on the internet and through books and only came up with about 5 definitive photographs of freight or passenger on the Garden City secondary. I know that it was once very busy and serviced daily, but there is no photographical evidence of that. Does anyone have any photographs or slides they can scan and post? It would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Joe

Especially pictures of the LIRR's Alco C420's working the line!!! I once saw a picture from back in the winter of '84-85 of 228 tied up to a cut of Penn Central gondolas, El Rexene covered hoppers and some reefers and a caboose in the yard, laying over during a snowstorm. Anybody ever see this picture? If you've got it, please post it.

There is a picture of a fantrip taken at Clinton Rd station.

Also, I have a few pix of NS and LIRR freight cars stored on the line a few months back.

You might want to check out Arrt's Archives http://arrts-arrchives.com/cext6.html

My archives contain two (2) shots from July, 1953 of a two-car freight plus hack being pulled by Baldwin DS4-4-1000 #450 at Washington Street, Garden City.

One view is from the front, the other is from the rear showing wooden N52A caboose #34.

If you're interested, both are available as hard copies.

Dave Keller

If only I had a scanner! I have dozens of slides of regular freight and passenger extras on the Mitchell Field Secondary. At least once a year, my buddy and I would take a morning train out to Garden City and walk east to try and catch RF68 working the branch. In the late 1970s/early 1980s there was still plenty of freight activity there. I ran passenger extras there at least twice, IIRC. The last time, we even went up the Bronze Siding! That was the first and supposedly last time a passenger train EVER went up there. For those who don't know, the Bronze Siding, which was only constructed in the 1950s, was the track that turned north from the main track in the "Mineola-Garden City" Freight Yard, crossed Stewart Ave at grade, went over the Meadowbrook Pky and crossed Zeckendorf Blvd and Axinn Ave at grade. Though the track used to also cross East Gate Blvd, that crossing was already obstructed. Imagine the look on a railfan's face if one happened to be driving along the Meadowbrook as we crossewd overhead! Those were the days....

Where did the track go to crossing East Gate Blvd.? On both sides of the track it's overgrown by some pretty substantial trees. Some rail on the west side of the crossing can still be seen, the east side is fenced, in addition to being overgrown. When was the last run across East Gate Blvd? I can remember it like that at least as far back as the mid-80's.

Legio,

Yes, I can recall East Gate Blvd being impassible even in the late 1970s. The railroad served American-Bosch on the east side of the street; they made optical goods. There was a factory building on either side of the track and the single track simply ended at the end of the buildings. Reeves Instrument Co was located on the west side of East Gate Blvd on the south side of the track. They, too, had a single track into their property (and at one time, apparently, into their building). Their switch was trailing point eastward so a reverse move was required from the EAST side of East Gate Blvd. There was (still is? in the weeds?) a run around track between Zeckendorf Blvd and Axinn Ave to aid in switching these industries. All of this stuff was built new in 1956 so it really didn't last very long at all. BTW, it was called the Bronze Siding for the General Bronze Co. factory on the north side of Stewart Ave, which was built in 1946.

There were even a few passenger stops in the late 1940s - early 1950s:

A&P Bronze was opened in June, 1949 to service the employees of General Bronze and A&P. It closed on 5/15/53.

Newsday was opened in June, 1949 to service their employees. I don't have a closure date on that one. May have been around the same year as A&P Bronze.

There also was a stop for Mitchell Field that lasted into the early 1950s.

The MU 2-car Mitchell Field shuttle from CLP carried the passengers, first with old MP41 equipment and later with MP54 cars.

Roosevelt Raceway MU trains were also routed along the branch.

Dave Keller

"Though the track used to also cross East Gate Blvd, that crossing was already obstructed."

How was it obstructed? It's clear now.


" the east side is fenced"

Actually, east of the crossing is not fenced in. If you look closely, you'll see it actually runs on that small strip of land between the parking lot and the fence. The rails are still there up until where the fence turns north and crosses the tracks.


"There was (still is? in the weeds?) a run around track between Zeckendorf Blvd and Axinn Ave to aid in switching these industries."

Yep, it's still there.


"Newsday was opened in June, 1949 to service their employees. I don't have a closure date on that one. May have been around the same year as A&P Bronze. "

I think all the stops, meaning Mitchell Field, Newsday, A&P, and Clinton Rd, were abandonned all on that same day when service on the line ended.

Regarding the Mitchel Field stop, I once worked with a guy who, when he was in the service commuted to the base from where he lived in Brooklyn, which must have been back in the early 50’s

All Service was abandoned on May 16 1953.

(Clinton rd, News Day, - A&P Bronze , - Mitchel Field)

May 15 was the last day of passenger serviced on the remaing part of the secondary.

http://arrts-arrchives.com/shuttle2.html